Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
S ierra
I climbed into the cab and gave him my address. Shit. My body still trembled from the sex we had. I was so screwed, and I couldn’t think straight. Why the hell did I sleep with him?
When I arrived home, I poured a glass of wine and called Becca. I knew it was late, but I needed to talk to her.
“This better be important,” she sleepily answered.
“I slept with my boss,” I blurted out.
“What!” she shouted, and I heard Brad in the background asking what happened. “Hold on. Sorry, babe. Go back to sleep. Okay, I’m in the bathroom. Continue.”
“He asked me to pick up his dry cleaning and drop it off at his home. I did, and we slept together.”
“How was it?” she asked.
“Incredible, Becca. I don’t know how—I mean, I don’t know?—”
“How you’re going to see him every day and work alongside him?” she said.
“Yes. Exactly that! He made it very clear that nothing will come of it. He doesn’t do romance or relationships. He said it was just sex.”
“Please don’t tell me that you’re in love with the guy already.”
“God, no. Not at all. Usually, with one-night stands, I never see the guy again. But I’ll see Jack every day. And listen to this. He wrote me a check for two months of rent and told me it was a loan.”
“Did he give it to you before or after sex?”
“After.”
“He totally paid you for having sex with him.” She laughed.
“No, he didn’t. He’s deducting it from my paycheck. He said he couldn’t have his assistant homeless.”
“Well, I guess that was nice of him. Maybe he isn’t so grinchy after all.”
“Oh, no. He is. Trust me.”
“Well, so are you. You’re two peas in a pod. Can I go back to bed now?”
“Yes. Go on. We’ll talk tomorrow. Night. I love you.”
“Love you too. Night.”
As I was getting ready for work the following morning, my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about last night. I was early enough because I couldn’t sleep, so I stopped at Starbucks on my way to work for a coffee. When I walked in, I saw the dreaded holiday cups had arrived.
“Morning, will you be trying one of our holiday drinks?” The overzealous barista smiled.
“God, no. I’ll have a Grande macchiato with an extra shot of espresso.”
“Name, please.”
“The name is Sierra, and you can put her coffee with mine. I’ll have the same thing she’s having.” I heard Jack’s voice from behind.
Turning around, he stood there staring at me, looking as sexy as hell in his dark blue tailored wool-blend coat with specks of snowflakes in his hair. He pulled some cash from his wallet and handed it to the barista.
“You don’t have to buy my coffee. And what are you doing here?” My brows furrowed.
“I’m buying your coffee. You can buy mine next time. I’m here for the same thing you are.”
“Two macchiatos for Sierra,” the barista spoke, setting our cups down.
Jack and I picked up our coffees and stared at the cup.
“Already? Fuck,” he said.
“My thoughts exactly.”
“Gotta love this snow,” Jack sighed as we left Starbucks. “It’s too early for this shit, and it only amplifies everyone’s holiday spirit.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Did you take a cab here?” he asked, walking to the Escalade.
“Yeah. It’s over there. I told him to wait for me.”
“Go pay him, and you can ride to the office with me.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back. Can you hold this?” I handed him my cup.
After paying the cab driver, I slid into the back of the Escalade next to Jack. He handed me my coffee, and I immediately brought the cup to my lips.
“I have some meetings I need you to reschedule when we get to the office,” he said.
“Okay.”
“How did you sleep last night?”
“Great,” I lied. “You?” I asked.
“Fantastic. Again, I feel like I need to reiterate what we talked about last night. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I will never have feelings for you.”
Jesus. This guy really was an asshole.
“Jack, I know.” I sighed. “Don’t worry. I will never have feelings for you, either. You’re not my type, anyway.”
“What is your type?” His left eye narrowed.
“Not a workaholic billionaire, that’s for sure.”
He didn’t comment because his phone rang, so he took the call. He was on the phone the entire way up to his office. Setting my coffee and purse down, Tristan walked over and planted his finger on my desk.
“Did I just see you and Jack walk in together?”
“We ran into each other at Starbucks, and I drove in the rest of the way with him. Why are you here so early?”
“Daniel needed a report done first thing this morning for a meeting he didn’t plan on having.”
“Sierra, I need you in my office,” Jack shouted.
“I have to get in there. We’ll talk later,” I said, grabbing my notepad and pen.
Sitting across from Jack’s desk, I crossed my legs and pushed the pen to the paper.
“I need you to book me a first-class flight to Hawaii from December 24 th through January 2 nd . Also, book me a suite at the Ritz Carlton in Maui, and a car service to pick me up from the airport.”
“You’re going to Hawaii for the holidays?” I cocked my head.
“No. I’m going to Hawaii from December 24 th to January 2 nd . It’s not for the holidays. Just a little R&R to escape the holiday hell in this city.”
“And you don’t think there will be holiday hell in Hawaii?” My brow arched.
“Not on the beach, there won’t be.”
“You do realize that the airports will be crazy that day, right?”
“I’m fully aware. Just book the damn trip, Sierra. I’ll still be working from Hawaii, so don’t make any plans.”
“Have you forgotten whom you’re talking to?” I smiled.
“Just making sure.”
“Is that all?” I asked.
“Here is a list of the meetings I need to reschedule.”
“Okay.” I stood up and walked out of his office.
J ack
She walked out of my office and shut the door behind her. Turning my chair around, I stared out the window at the lightly falling snow, which had left a white blanket over the city. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night—how she tasted and how good she felt. I was quickly brought back to the present when I heard my office door open, and Daniel walked in.
“Here are the projections for the Burrough’s property,” he spoke as I turned my chair around.
“Thanks. I’ll look them over later.”
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked, sitting down across from my desk.
“I fucked up.”
“How? What did you do?” His brows furrowed.
“I slept with Sierra last night.”
“Ugh, Jack. Why did you go and do a stupid thing like that?”
“It just happened. But I made it very clear to her that nothing would come of it.”
“You make it clear to all the women you sleep with, and it doesn’t matter. Your lack of not being able to keep your dick in your pants lands you into trouble at some point.”
My phone rang. When I glanced at it, I saw Claire calling again, so I declined the call.
“You don’t have to take that?” Daniel asked.
“No. It’s Claire again. She’s been calling the past couple of days.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t answered her calls.”
“It might be important, Jack,” Daniel said.
“If it were, she’d leave a message. I’m sure she’s just trying to get more money from me.”
My office door opened, and Sierra popped her head in.
“Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know that your trip is booked.”
“Thank you, Sierra.”
“Trip? What trip?” Daniel asked.
“I’m going to Hawaii for a little R&R.”
“When are you leaving?”
“December 24 th -January 2 nd .”
“You do remember that Chrissy and I will be spending the holidays in Maine, right? We’re leaving Christmas night.”
“I remember. The company will be fine for a week. I’ll still be working while I’m there.”
“God forbid you take some real time off.” He smirked.
“Time off isn’t in my vocabulary. You know that.” I pointed at him.